The Broom-Squire

Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine), 1834-1924Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 598K words
Chapters: 60

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Broom-Squire by S. Baring-GouldAuthor: Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine), 1834-1924,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Oct 28, 2009

Editor's review

Sabine Baring-Gould was a prolific Victorian author, also known for his writing on folklore and local history, and The Broom-Squire displays the regional storytelling and character portrayal he excelled at. The novel unfolds around country life, with a strong sense of place and moral observation; its plot advances through character relationships and everyday detail rather than intense dramatic conflict. For readers familiar with the English regional novel tradition, this work offers a slow, solid reading experience and can also serve as a supplementary text for understanding late nineteenth-century English local society and narrative tastes. As a public-domain ebook, it is easy to search and cite, suiting literature enthusiasts, those interested in folklore, and readers who need an English text for close-reading practice. While reading, note how the narrator handles rural ethics and class differences, which are often the real point of interest in such novels.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy English regional novels and Victorian storytelling
Researchers interested in Baring-Gould's work and folklore background
Literature learners who need a public-domain English text for close-reading practice
Readers of classics who prefer a slow pace and finely drawn character relationships

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strong plotting, fast pacing, and constant twists
General readers who read only contemporary Chinese original fiction
Those wholly unfamiliar with and uninterested in nineteenth-century English rural settings

Reading tips

It will go more smoothly to first learn about Baring-Gould's regional narrative style before starting the text.
While reading, note rural forms of address and status relationships to help follow the class clues.
Read alongside English rural history or folklore material to deepen understanding of the setting.
For the original English, advance chapter by chapter and revisit key dialogue passages after finishing.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is the narrative pace of this book very slow?

Overall it has the pace of a traditional regional novel, emphasizing character relationships and everyday detail, with dramatic conflict less dense than in modern genre fiction. Readers used to slow reading and willing to absorb the local atmosphere will find it easier to enter; those seeking fast momentum may feel the early sections have a lot of groundwork.

What else did Baring-Gould write besides novels?

According to public-domain general knowledge, Baring-Gould was a prolific Victorian author whose writing covered novels, folklore, local history, and religious subjects. This novel shows one side of his regional storytelling; those interested in his folklore writing can explore related public-domain works.

Can I read it without knowledge of the English countryside?

Yes. The plot itself relies on character relationships and everyday conflict, so background knowledge is not a hard requirement. If local forms of address or rural customs are unclear, you can skip them at first and revisit after finishing with an introduction or background material for a fuller understanding.

Comments

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About the author

Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine), 1834-1924 Author

S. Baring-Gould (Sabine Baring-Gould, 1834–1924) was a prolific British author, with 49 of his works held in this collection. Public information about him is limited, but his writing interests clearly centered on religion, history, folklore, and local topography. His representative works include the multi-volume The Lives of the Saints, which presents saints' lives month by month; Curious Myths of the Middle Ages and A Book of Ghosts, which reveal his fondness for legend and the supernatural; and Strange Survivals, which explores ancient customs surviving in human history. He also wrote A History of Sarawak under Its Two White Rajahs 1839–1908, the travel book In Troubadour-Land on Provence and Languedoc, and Conscience and Sin, a Lenten devotional. His style combines erudition with accessibility, weaving historical sources, legends, and travel observations into highly readable narratives.